Microsoft originally told us that Surface Pro would bow in the January of this year, but it looks as though the Redmond, Washington-based company is running a bit behind schedule. Microsoft announced today that Surface Pro would actually launch on February 9 in the U.S. and Canada.

Unlike Surface RT, which runs Windows RT and lacks Windows software backwards compatibility due to its use of an ARM processor, Surface Pro can handle the entire Windows library thanks to Windows 8 Pro. The tablet packs in a Core i5 processor, 1080p display, Mini DisplayPort, and a USB 3.0 port. The tablet is also much pricier than its Surface RT counterpart, which starts at $499. The 64GB version is priced at $899 while the 128GB model will cost you $999.

The difference is simple. The cheapest surface pro is $900 where you can get the cheapest iPad 2 for $400. If you are using this for pure business use, you would not be putting music, video or games on it, making 16gb fine. I have trouble understanding why any business would need a touchscreen device vs say a normal laptop.

You're thinking too simply. A Surface Pro is a computer that also has a touch screen. It's not like because a computer has a touch screen that you HAVE to use it for everything. The cheapest Pro is $900 and the cheapest current generation iPad with 64GB of storage is $700. The differences are with the Pro you can run all your Windows software that you already own or have collected. You also get full USB 3 ports. That $200 gets you SO much more I don't see how anybody can't understand the benefits.

Tablets are by nature a portable device, why should tethering a bunch of things be considered a positive? That's what wifi and bluetooth are for.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Surface (even the RT), but the lack of fullscreen touch-optimized Surface RT apps is a huge strike at the moment. I have Windows 8 on my laptop and full-screen tablet apps are not what I'd be using it for right now.

At this point I think I'd be more interested in a 13" or 15" laptop with an IPS touchscreen rather than the Surface, at least until the lack of dedicated touchscreen applications for Windows 8 gets sorted out.

"If you look at the last five years, if you look at what major innovations have occurred in computing technology, every single one of them came from AMD. Not a single innovation came from Intel." -- AMD CEO Hector Ruiz in 2007